Part of the Family
by everlovingdeer
Summary: Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "She thinks we're friends with benefits." "Being friends with benefits doesn't sound that bad," Bill teased, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. I glared up at him; he was not helping things. Evidently, we hadn't spoken quietly enough as Ron who was sitting on the other side of me, asked loudly, "What does friends with benefits mean?"
1. Part of Family

Mr and Mrs Weasley attended Hogwarts with my parents and, as a result, I had grown up alongside the large Weasley family. That was the reason that I was so often at their family home to help Bill babysit the rest of his siblings. I would be doing the same today. And as I looked through my overnight bag, I made sure I brought some witch weekly magazines for Ginny to flick through. The magazines were practically considered contraband in their home with the boys snuffing out any attempts of Ginny acting 'girly'. Maybe that was why she, after Bill, was the closest to me? I was another girl she could relate to in a world full of older brothers.

As I approached the floo, I waved a final goodbye to my parents who reminded me that they were only a short floo ride away, should there be any trouble. Mere seconds after stepping into the fireplace, I appeared at the burrow and stepped out into the living room, wiping the soot from my clothes as I went.

Bill was at my side instantly, taking my overnight bag from me. "Thanks for your help," he said in greeting.

I rolled my eyes at the needless words, "Honestly Bill, you don't need to thank me every time. Besides, there's no way you'd be able to handle six of them on your own."

"Especially with the twins running around." Rolling his eyes knowingly, he disappeared up the stairs for a moment to drop my bag off in Ginny's room. Looking around the room, I took a quick headcount to see who was missing. 8-year-old Ron and 12-year-old Percy were currently facing off in an intense match off chess. And if the way Percy adjusted his glasses on his nose was any indication, the older boy was currently losing. On the other side of the room, 16-year-old Charlie was sat reading a book on dragons with Ginny tucked into his lap. The twins who were to attend Hogwarts this year were busy sat in the corner of the room, obviously plotting something.

Ginny was the first to react to my presence. Scrambling off from Charlie's lap, she rushed over to me and wrapped me in her arms around my middle.

"How have you been Gin?" I asked, patting her head.

"Bored out of my mind," she complained, "Boys are too gross for me to be around. I'm _7_ already – almost a grown up."

"Of course," I agreed, ruffling her hair, "lucky for you I'm here to spend the night. Now, where are your parents?"

"In the kitchen." She rolled her eyes, running a hand through her chin length hair. "Dad's trying to get mum to leave."

"Why don't you go and sit with Charlie again?" I suggested, "I'll go and see your parents."

She nodded eagerly, going back to her brother and I headed off to find Mr and Mrs Weasley who, when I found them, were talking quietly in the kitchen.

"Come on Mollywobbles," Mr Weasley cajoled quietly, "We've left the kids before. They're not alone, Bill will look after them."

"And I'll be here to help him," I reminded the older woman, stepping into the room. "And I'll even look after Bill too. So there's no reason to be worried."

"I know, dear," she assured me, taking my hand in both of hers and patting it gently. "I just can't help but be worried."

"The kids will be fine," I insisted with a reassuring smile, "You and Mr Weasley should both go and have a good time."

"She's got a point mum," Bill added, appearing beside me as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "Hurry up and leave before you miss your reservation."

Mr Weasley, as if he realised the time, began to hurry his wife out of the kitchen. "We'd better get moving –"

Mrs Weasley resisted for a while, eventually giving up and settled for giving me a final instruction from over her shoulder. "I've cooked dinner and set it aside. You just need to warm it up."

"I'll get right to it," I promised, sharing an amused look with Bill as he saw his parents out. No matter how many times they'd left us alone with the kids, Mrs Weasley still continued to worry every time she needed to leave us alone.

As I looked into the pans to see what Mrs Weasley had made for dinner, I heard her voice as she bid goodbye to each of her children. Mr Weasley remained in the open doorway of the kitchen, talking quietly to Bill and I wished, as I did every time, that he'd spoken quieter.

"Now Bill," he began seriously, "I know I say this every time, son, but your mother and I are trusting you."

"Dad," awkwardness seeped into Bill's voice.

Mr Weasley cleared his throat, "We're trusting you so no messing around, do you understand?"

Keeping my back to them, I acted unaffected by the words even as I felt heat creep up my neck. By the time Mr and Mrs Weasley had left the burrow, I had managed to warm up dinner and set the table.

Once all the kids had eaten and hung around until bed time, I came to the absolute resolution that I would never have so many kids. Bill, as he settled down onto the sofa beside me with a sigh, seemed to agree wholeheartedly. Thankfully all the kids, apart from Charlie, were in bed and if no one had any nightmares, then the rest of the night would pass uneventfully.

"So," Bill began, angling his body towards mine, "we've both been so busy that I haven't had the time to catch up with my best friend. How have you been?"

"We hung out a few days ago, Weasley," I reminded him.

"That doesn't mean we can't catch up, Garrett, now does it?" He raised an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes.

"You're acting like there's something you need to tell me," I muttered suspiciously.

"Maybe I do." I watched him reach into his pocket before pulling something out. He took my hand and placed a golden badge down on my open palm. Staring down at the head boy badge he'd just placed in my hand, I groaned aloud. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"How on earth am I going to get rid of you now?" I teased, reaching into my pocket and retrieving my own badge that I'd brought along to show him.

Taking the badge from my hand, he raised it to his eyes with a grin. "It looks like we're stuck with each other for a long time."

* * *

There really was no way that I was going to be able to get away from Bill this year – not that I had an issue with that. Not only were we to divide up the rounds between the prefects and lead the team, but we were to share a dorm this year. The only problem with being around him so often was that I knew that this year would not be the time for me to get over the crush that I had been harbouring for near enough two years.

Merlin, and here I was, planning to fully get over him this year. Maybe I still could? Perhaps after sharing a living space with Bill I'd find some huge flaw in him which would turn me off of him completely?

"What are you thinking about?" Bill asked, descending the stairs from his room and entering the shared common room space.

"Nothing," I reassured him, "I was just waiting for you to come down so we could head off for our rounds."

"It's the first day back at school," he responded with a roll of his eyes as we walked, side by side, to the entrance. "I doubt there's going to be any students sneaking around."

"You say that as if you've forgotten that your twin brothers entered Hogwarts today," I remarked as we stepped out into the corridor and began our rounds.

"They're going to cause some trouble," he chuckled.

"That's going to turn out to be the understatement of the century."

"Maybe," he agreed as we turned the corner and I spotted a head of red hair. Honestly. The boy, not yet realising we'd seen him continued to walk towards the kitchens as though he wasn't out after curfew.

"What is it with you Weasleys sneaking out to the kitchens," I muttered under my breath, remembering the first detention I'd ever had was because Bill had abducted me on the way to my common room and convinced me to go to the kitchens after curfew.

"He's not the one I had my money on." He shook his head a little regretfully, "I can't believe I lost to dad."

Shooting Bill a look, I shook my head and turned back to his younger brother. "Charlie!" I called out before he could enter the kitchen.

He started at the loud call of his name and turned slowly to face the pair of us. We walked towards him and watched as he rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck when he realised who had caught him. But mere seconds later, he shot his older brother an annoyed look.

"I thought you said that you weren't patrolling around here today," he protested and I looked at Bill incredulously. "The schedule even says that you're not patrolling here."

"We had to switch with another pair of prefects," I informed him, remembering that we'd swapped with a Hufflepuff sixth year and a Slytherin seventh year. Neither would have been able to take points from him and Charlie took the opportunity to hit the kitchens. Merlin.

"Technically," Bill piped up at my side, "He's a prefect so he's allowed out after curfew."

"I should've known you wouldn't take points from him," I muttered as I looked between the two brothers.

Charlie grinned at my words, "You're not a Gryffindor so you can't take points from me, Garrett. And because I'm allowed out after curfew then there's no ground for you to give me a detention either."

"Maybe you should have been in Slytherin," I muttered, lamenting. "It's the first day of school!"

Charlie approached me, intending to wrap an arm around my shoulder, "I'm taking the Slytherin remark as a compliment."

"You would," I muttered under my breath, turning to eye Bill curiously when he stepped between Charlie and me.

Charlie chuckled as if he found something funny, returning his arm to his side. Bill eyed his younger brother before clearing his throat.

"Come on," he said a little gruffly, gesturing Charlie forward with his arm. "We'll walk you back to your common room."

"Lead the way, dear brother," Charlie said cheekily.

I rolled my eyes as we began the trek back to the Gryffindor common room, "How the hell did you manage to get away with this with no punishment?"

"I guess it's the perks of being a Weasley?" he suggested with a smirk and Bill suddenly wrapped an arm around my shoulder. The unexpected gesture caught me off guard and I glanced up at Bill only to find him staring down at me. I looked away from him hurriedly, "I'm family of the heads of the school – what reason do I have to get into trouble."

"I might spend a lot of time at your house Charlie, but I'm not family."

"Well, what about it?" Peering around his older brother, Charlie wriggled his eyebrows at me. "Should I make you a Weasley? You might have to wait a few years, until I'm of age, but I'm all for it."

"Stop it," Bill said firmly, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

"Bill," I called his name softly, feeling like I was missing out on something.

He ignored me, removing his arm from around me and I pretended not the miss the weight of it on my shoulder. Gesturing for his brother to leave, he pointed towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"You'd better get going before I decide to take points from you after all."

Charlie acted as if he hadn't heard his brother's words. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he turned a charming smile onto me, "So, what's your answer then Garrett?"

Bill called his brother's name warningly before I could have said anything. Realising that his older brother was serious, Charlie backed away from us and towards the Fat Lady with arms raised in mock surrender.

"It's alright Bill," he assured teasingly, "I understand."

"He understands?" I asked curiously, looking up at Bill as Charlie approached the portrait and recited the password to the Gryffindor common room. "What does he understand?"

"It's nothing," he assured me and something in his voice told me not to press the matter further.

* * *

The number of Weasleys within the castle walls had almost doubled this year and I still wasn't used to seeing the twins walking around the school. Merlin, I still thought of them like they were the little 3 year olds that after a bout of accidental magic got themselves stuck in a tree. They had been the only ones laughing, everyone else had been panicking before it took a calm reminder from Bill that the adults could use magic.

"Garrett," someone called out from behind me as I walked to the heads dorm.

Pausing in my step, I glanced over my shoulder at the approaching boy. It took me a few seconds to recognise which twin he was but as he drew closer and I saw the slight dent in his nose – from falling face first off a toy broom – I called out to him with a smile.

"George. What can I help you with?"

"I'm looking for Bill," he explained as he stopped beside me, moving his bag higher on his shoulder.

"He's got quidditch practice now," I answered after a moment's contemplation, "Do you want me to pass on a message for you, or –"

"He left something behind," he said, rummaging through his bag. "He was helping me and Fred with an essay and left it behind."

"I'll give it to him if you want," I offered, outstretching a hand to take the leather-bound book he pulled out from the bag. "He should be back at the heads dorm soon."

"You'd be a lifesaver." Giving me a grateful smile, he handed the book off to me and made to leave.

I called out after him, "Do you think you and Fred could stop sneaking out _every_ day after curfew? A lot of the prefects are complaining that they're being outsmarted by a pair of first years."

"I feel like you're telling me off," he began, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes only growing brighter, "but you sound too proud to be doing that."

"I probably shouldn't be," I agreed with a smile before gesturing for the younger boy to leave. "Hurry back to the common room before Fred realises you've been missing for too long."

George took off in a run, waving to me as he went. I watched him disappear from view before continuing on my way to the head's dorm. Bill should have still been in practice so I expected to find it empty but it wasn't. When I walked into the common room, I was surprised to find Bill lying on one of the sofas with a book in his hands.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned, crossing the space towards him and sitting on the other sofa. "Shouldn't you be at practice?"

"It finished early," he explained, not looking up from the book, "So I came back here and decided to get some of the N.E.W.T. level reading done but I've been staring at his page for over five minutes now. It's terribly boring stuff."

Casting a glance at the book cover, I made a face. "That's why very few people take N.E.W.T. level history of magic."

"Well it's too late to regret it," he said with a sigh. Closing the textbook with a snap, he rested it on his chest and looked at me from where he was lying. "What took you so long to come back to the common room?"

"I ran into George," I explained, suddenly remembering the book. Searching through my bag, I looked briefly up at him, "he said you left something behind when you were helping the twins with an essay?"

"I left something behind?" he repeated curiously, sitting up as I brandished the book triumphantly. Peering down at the book for a fraction of a second, he stiffened before reaching out to snatch it from my hands.

"You're making me curious William," I remarked with a raised eyebrow and watching as he grew red under my eyes.

"It's nothing," he dismissed, setting the book casually on the coffee table in front of him as if to reaffirm his words. Clearing his throat, he scratched his cheek as he thought of something to say. "Mum owled me earlier with something for you."

"Something for me?" Taking my eyes away from the book, I looked to Bill and decided to take the hint. There must have been a reason he didn't want to talk about it. "What is it?"

"Ginny's been making friendship bracelets for her friends," he explained, rising to his feet, "she made one for you but she was too embarrassed to ask mum to send it. So, mum did it when she was asleep. I can get rid of it if you –"

"Don't you dare," I cut in with narrowed eyes. "This is why Ginny needs an older sister – you older brother's don't understand how important that bracelet probably is to her."

"Why would she need an older sister," he said dismissively, " when she has you. Give me a second to get the bracelet for you."

I nodded, watching as he disappeared up the stairs. My eyes followed him as he walked and when he shut the door to his room behind him, they snapped back to the book lying innocently on the coffee table. I really shouldn't –

It was an invasion of privacy.

There was probably a reason that he didn't want me to know what was inside of it.

He'd be so betrayed when he found out.

But I couldn't resist the urge to peek inside. And it really was nothing more than a peek. All I did was raise the cover of the book and took a minute glance down into it. What I saw had me snapping the cover shut, cheeks colouring as I heard his bedroom door open again. Scrambling back into my seat, I forced the heat in my cheeks to die down as he approached me.

He gave me an odd look, holding out the bracelet for me to take. Forcing my attention away from what I had found, I smiled at the simple braided bracelet and moved to tie it around my wrist. Doing so onehanded proved to be a feat and Bill sighed, seeing my struggle and swatted my hand away, tying it for me.

My eyes drifted to his face as he was tying it. He looked at me from the corner of his eye, "What?"

"Nothing," I said quietly with a shake of my head.

But my mind was buzzing with questions that I wanted to ask him.

When did you take up drawing again? I thought you gave it up in second year? You had always claimed to draw things you found beautiful, things that inspired you; so when did you begin drawing me?

* * *

Since discovering the drawing in Bill's book, I was adamant to get over my feelings and took any opportunity to distance myself from him whilst maintaining my friendship with him to an extent where he was none the wiser. It was a difficult balance to maintain. That was the reason why I welcomed the Christmas holidays with open arms. Not only was there no school, there was also no reason for me to see Bill every day. Of course, I still saw him because of how close our families were. But there was nothing I could do about that.

It had been a week since I had last seen him and Bill had asked me to help him babysit his siblings whilst his parents went out for date night but I had declined, making up an essay that I needed to complete. He had assured me that it was fine and I hadn't heard from him since. Or rather, that was until he burst into my living room, through the floo at midnight. His sudden appearance took me by surprise, making me jump slightly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, removing the blanket I had draped over myself and throwing it aside as I rose to my feet. "What about the kids –"

"Charlie's still awake," he explained, looking rushed, "I need you to come with me."

"What's going on?" Growing alarmed, I approached him and reached out to place a reassuring hand on his arm.

"Ginny had a nightmare and woke up screaming – that's what woke Charlie up. She's been inconsolable since and keeps claiming she wants mum but I can't reach them."

"Is she alright?" I began to fret, not caring that I was in my most unattractive pyjamas with my hair piled at the top of my head into an unkempt bun.

"She's asking for you," he hurried out, "She said if she can't have mum, then she wants you. Will you –"

"Do you even need to ask?" Shuffling into my slippers, I hurried to the fireplace. "What are you doing then? Come along."

I headed back to the burrow before him and walked out into the living room, looking for Ginny who was nowhere in sight. Bill stepped out of the fireplace behind me, wiping at his pyjamas as he did so.

"She's in her room," he explained and I took the stairs two at a time in my haste.

As I approached Ginny's room, I could hear the quiet sniffles coming from inside the room. She hiccupped slightly, gasping for breath between sobs as Charlie continued to talk quietly to her, trying to calm her down. It seemed to have little effect.

I walked into the room without knocking. Charlie looked up at the sound of the door opening, relief crossing his features when he saw me. His eyes drifted past me to Bill who was standing behind me as he rose to his feet, giving me space to approach Ginny. The young girl was against her headboard, curled into herself with her head buried into her knees.

I sat on the edge of the bed, taking the space Charlie had previously occupied and reached out to and run a soothing hand over her hair.

"Ginny," I called out gently, making her look up at me.

She stared up at me with bloodshot eyes, sniffling before crawling into my lap. Wrapping my arms around her, I rocked her side to side and waited patiently for her to stop crying. She did so eventually, leaning against my chest and wrapping her arms around my neck.

Bill, from his position in the doorway, looked to his younger brother. "Why don't you get some sleep Charlie? We'll take it from here."

Charlie hesitated, "Are you sure?"

"We'll be fine," I assured him with a smile, adjusting my position so I could rest against the headboard. Ginny shuffled against me and I rubbed at her back. "You should get some sleep."

He looked uncertainly between Bill and I, cast one more glance at his younger sister before leaving the bedroom. When Charlie was out of the room, Bill shut the door and walked slowly towards the bed. Perching on the edge of the bed, he reached out to run a hand over Ginny's head. Ginny looked up from where she had burrowed into my shoulder, blinking tiredly at her brother.

"Do you want to tell me what you dreamt about?" he asked quietly, backtracking immediately when Ginny shook her head violently, looking like she was going to become upset again. "Alright, alright, how about –"

"Why don't we read a bedtime story?" I offered, seeing the way Bill was floundering. "Why don't you pick the story and Bill will place some protective wards around the room to make sure you don't have another nightmare?"

Ginny nodded slowly, clambering off my lap to approach her bookshelf.

"Protective wards," Bill repeated, knowing that neither of us knew anything about wards.

"Just pretend," I lowered my voice, leaning towards him. "It'll be enough to reassure her."

Ginny returned to the bed, a large book of fairy tales clutched to her chest. Bill removed his wand from his pocket and pretended to cast some wards, seeing the way Ginny let out a relieved breath as he did so. The younger girl settled herself into the bed, sitting between Bill and me. She looked to her brother expectantly, handing the book to him and he started to read without a complaint. Burrowing into my side, she tried to fight the urge to sleep but it was a losing battle.

By the time Bill had finished the story, she was already half asleep. Easing off the bed slowly, Bill placed the book away again and I tried to move from the bed too only to be stopped when Ginny opened her eyes tiredly. She reached out to fist my pyjama top in her hands.

"Don't go," she pleaded.

"She needs to go home, Gin," Bill said gently, squatting down to meet his sister's eyes.

Ginny frowned at him, "Hurry up and make her family Bill – then she won't need to go anywhere."

Bill cleared his throat awkwardly, avoiding my eyes when I looked to him for an explanation. Instead he rose to his feet and sighed. "Gin –"

"One night won't hurt," I protested.

Shaking his head knowingly, Bill approached the bedroom door, "I'll owl your parents."

"Thank you."

Settling down beside the younger girl, I allowed myself to drift off to sleep only when I was sure that Ginny was sound asleep and wouldn't suffer from another nightmare. The door creaked open, waking me slightly and I lifted my head slightly to see Bill enter the room again. The floorboards creaked under his feet as he approached the bed and I laid back against the pillow, closing my eyes.

There was no other sound for a while before I felt the duvet being adjusted to cover the two of us. I kept still, waiting for him to leave the room but he did something that surprised me. Gentle fingers brushed the stray hairs away from my face before a kiss was pressed to my forehead.

Only when I heard the door open and close again did I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding. Getting over him was going to be difficult.

* * *

The next morning, when I woke up the first thing I did was check up on Ginny. The younger girl was still sleeping soundly in her bed and had appeared to suffer from no further nightmares throughout the night. Easing off the bed gently, I covered her with a blanket before exiting the room quietly. Pausing on the upstairs landing, I listened to the sounds of Mrs Weasley as she moved around the kitchen. Casting a cleansing charm on myself, I freshened up within seconds and made my way downstairs.

"Do you need some help?" I offered as I walked into the kitchen, taking her by surprise.

She paused, spatula held aloft as she stared at me for a few seconds. Blinking twice, her eyes raked over my form taking in my pyjamas and hair which had long escaped from my bun. Clearing her throat, she set the spatula aside and lowered the heat on the cooker.

"Good morning dear," she said with a smile, pouring me a glass of orange juice and gesturing for me to take the outstretched glass. "I take it you spent the night then?"

"Ah," I shuffled awkwardly on my feet, completely forgetting that the older woman had no idea that I had stayed over. "about that –"

"You're always welcome," she said dismissively, turning back to the eggs that were frying in the pan. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Which room did you sleep in, dear?"

I frowned a little at the odd question, not understanding what her question was alluding at. "Ginny's," I answered truthfully.

"Now, I'm not a stick in the mud," she began reassuringly, throwing me a glance over her shoulder, "I trust my son and whatever you and Bill get up to is your business –"

Mortification coloured my features, mouth dropping open in shock, "Mrs Weasley –"

"As long as the two of you are being safe," she stated, cutting an extremely embarrassing conversation short.

"It's _really_ not like that between us," I protested, fidgeting with the glass in my hand.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," she continued on, not realising that she was far from the truth. "I'm not one to judge, as long as the pair of you make each other happy and are being safe. Remember, safe sex is the best kind of sex."

"Merlin's beard," I swore under my breath, realising that she would never believe my denials. Why on earth was I the on the that was being subjected to this awkward conversation? She was _Bill's_ mother, he should have been the one dealing with this mess. I could think of nothing else to say, so I instead emptied my glass of orange juice.

Thankfully, as the rest of the Weasley household woke up for the day and made their way down for breakfast, the conversation was dropped. Or rather that was what I had thought. Except I should have known better – there were too many snooping ears around for the conversation to be over so smoothly. I hadn't expected it to have been brought up at the breakfast table as I sat with Bill at my side. And I certainly didn't expect Fred to be the one to bring it up.

"Bill," he had begun, voice full of childish curiosity.

Bill paused midway through spooning some sugar into my tea, casting his brother a glance. "What?"

"I've got a question," he said needlessly as I gave Bill a thankful smile, raising the tea to my lips.

"Get to the point Fred."

"Why did mum say that you and Garrett need to use protection?"

His question set off a chain reaction of events. I was the first person to realise what he meant, spluttering into my tea and scalding my tongue. Bill reacted instantly, reaching out to rub at my back soothingly, his mother immediately began to chastise her younger son, his father tried to smother his chuckles behind his napkin and Charlie made no move to shield his snickers. The rest of the Weasley children were silent, looking to their older brother for an answer.

"Where did you hear about that?" Bill asked, trying and failing to keep his embarrassment hidden.

"Mum and Garrett were talking about it this morning," he explained, not understanding the fuss made over the single question. Bill raised a questioning eyebrow and I could do nothing more than nod and confirm that I had, in fact, suffered through the embarrassing ordeal. "Well?"

"It's nothing Fred," Bill tried to dismiss, his hand dropping from my back.

Fred frowned, unconvinced but before he could say anything, Charlie interceded. "Girls have germs and if you spend as much time with them as Bill does with Garrett, then you need to use protection."

He completely missed the glare Ginny threw his way. Instead, Charlie looked over to George who scoffed loudly at the words.

"Oh please," George rolled his eyes, "we're not _babies_ Charlie – we're at Hogwarts now."

Bill, seeing that the conversation was safely diverted, leaned in closer to me. He looked around the table and seeing that no one was looking in his direction, he asked, "Did mum really talk to you?"

I made a face, "Unfortunately."

He grimaced, "Godric, I'm sorry. Why was she asking that in the first place?"

Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "She thinks we're friends with benefits."

"Being friends with benefits doesn't sound that bad," Bill teased, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. I glared up at him; he was _not_ helping things.

Evidently, we hadn't spoken quietly enough as Ron who was sitting on the other side of me, asked loudly, "What does friends with benefits mean?"

Mrs Weasley gasped aloud, looking like she had no idea how to react. I slumped into my seat, feeling like I was dying on the inside.

The Weasley matriarch somehow managed to handle Ron's curiosity long enough for breakfast to finish. But once breakfast was finished, I was left to deal with the questioning of the curious child. Bill had only managed to deflect him long enough for me to change into some new clothes and once I had returned downstairs, Ron had bounded up to me.

In a clear voice, he demanded, "So? What does friends with benefits mean?"

I glanced around the room, looking for a way out. Merlin, I couldn't even think of something to say to him. What was I supposed to say for him to drop matters? Could I interest him in a game of quidditch? If I did that then Mrs Weasley would kill me but Ron would be distracted. If I sneaked some snacks to him, he'd eventually blab and it wouldn't be kept a secret for long –

"So?" Ron took my hand, staring up at me. "What does it mean then? You'll tell me, right?"

Bill appeared behind Ron, giving me a reassuring look as he approached us. He pulled at the back of Ron's top, startling the younger boy who hurriedly let go of my hand.

"I'll explain to you," Bill offered as he dragged the younger boy by the back of his shirt towards the sofa. I grew concerned, watching Ron scramble backwards as he tried to stay upright against Bill.

"Bill," I protested, watching as he nudged his younger brother and sent him tumbling onto the sofa. Settling down beside Ron, he gestured for me to take the other boy's side.

"You'll tell me, right?" Ron asked suspiciously as he stared up at his oldest brother, "What friends with benefits means?"

"You obviously understand what a friend is," Bill began steadily, "do you know what benefit means?" Ron hesitated for a moment, thinking hard before he nodded and Bill although appearing doubtful, humoured the boy, "Well friends with benefits is a relationship where the two people in the friendship get something from it."

"Like what?" Bill's explanation only served to make Ron more curious and I sighed, running a tired hand over my face. It was going to be a _long_ day.

Bill thought for a moment, thinking of an appropriate way to simultaneously dodge and answer the question. "That depends on what the people involved want."

"So, it's not like a normal friendship, then?" Ron surmised.

Bill nodded, ruffling his younger brother's hair, "Exactly."

Ron nodded thoughtfully, looking to me, "Are you and my brother friends with benefits then?"

I stared down at him in shock, unsure of how to answer the question and Bill took pity on me, answering for me. "We're not Ron."

Ron furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "But you're not normal friends, though?"

"We're not," Bill agreed without missing a beat, his answer catching me off guard. He didn't so much as look my way, let alone meet my inquisitive eyes.

"Then what are you then?"

"Something else," Bill settled on answering and Ron nodded sagely, like he understood.

"You know," the younger boy began slowly as he rose to his feet and looking down at me, "I wouldn't mind having another sister – you're not as annoying as Gin."

I laughed quietly, reaching out to ruffle his hair, "Well I wouldn't mind having you as a brother, either."

Ron grinned, pleased by my answer before he ran off and left Bill and I alone. I glanced curiously at Bill who shook his head slightly.

"You're really good with my family," he complimented, taking me by surprise.

"Really?" I shot him a doubtful look, "Because sometimes it doesn't feel like it."

Before he could respond, he was taken by surprise as Ginny walked past us, chanting 'friends with benefits' over and over again. He chuckled, completely amused by the situation and all I could do was groan. Burying my head in my hands, I let out a deep breath.

Merlin, I couldn't wait to be back at Hogwarts.

* * *

Merlin, was Weasley synonymous with trouble? Or was I the only person noticing this trend? Although, I thought with a sigh, I didn't expect for _this_ particular Weasley to be the one causing the trouble. It had all begun when Percy ran up to me, catching me in the hallway as I headed back to the heads dorm after finishing with my lesson for the day. Coming to a stop in front of me, his chest rose and fell rapidly as his greedy lungs took in some much-needed air.

"Percy?" I asked, concerned by the boy's unusual behaviour and silently waving goodbye to my friends, "Is something the matter?"

"You need to come with me," he said instead, straightening up and intending to run off again.

"Wait a second." Reaching out to halt him, I made him turn back to face me. He shuffled impatiently on his feet as if worrying about waiting for too long.

"It's an emergency," he emphasised, stressing the words, "Come with me."

"Ok," I agreed and no sooner than the word had left my lips, did Percy take off in a dead run. Struggling to keep up with him, I pushed my way through the crowd which, after recognising me as the head girl, parted instantly. "What's going on Percy? Did someone cause some trouble?"

"It's Bill," he managed to get out without explaining any further. He continued to run, leading me towards the charms corridor as I internally complained that the Christmas holiday had _just_ ended. And yet a Weasley was already causing trouble.

When we reached the scene, the crowd forming a circle in the middle of the corridor were the only indicator I needed to figure out what was going on. I huffed aloud, hand clutching my wand tightly at my side. Honestly, what seventh years still had fights in the middle of the corridor?

"Percy," I called out to the younger boy, not taking my eyes off from the crowd, "go back to your common room. I'll handle it."

Without another glance at him, I walked towards the crowd and forced my way into the centre. A gasp left my throat when I realised that the two seventh year boys weren't fighting with their wands. No, those had been discarded to the side. Instead, Bill threw a punch at the Slytherin seventh year boy and delivered a swift jab to his jaw. Sucking in a deep breath, I turned my eyes away from the fight that was becoming bloody and wondered why the hell no one was doing anything to stop it. Merlin there were enough prefects in the crowd to stop it before it progressed this far.

Clearing my head of those thoughts, I cast a shield between the two boys to stop them fighting. They started at the sudden intrusion, turning their eyes to me and I shook my head when I met Bill's eyes. He didn't appear phased by my disappointment as he regained his breath and I did my best not to focus on his wounds. Instead, I listened to the dissatisfied groan that went through the crowd who weren't ready to leave yet.

Turning to the crowd, I asked aloud, "Am I going to need to give each and every one of you a detention for you to leave? Or perhaps I need to talk to the heads of houses about talking to you about basic decency?" The crowd grumbled, beginning to disappear and I added firmly, "Don't think that I didn't see the prefects in the crowd – you're all to report to the next meeting and expect punishment for letting things get this far."

Once the crowd had left, I looked back to the two seventh year boys and raised an eyebrow. Crossing my arms, I asked, "Are you done with your testosterone display? Or do you want to throw some more punches at each other? I hope it was worth it; you're both going to be serving detention for the rest of the week."

Neither reacted to my words, staring venomously at each other. I scoffed, stepping closer to the two and seeing the way they both pressed against the invisible shield as if to break through it.

"Lee," I called out sharply to the Slytherin boy who showed no reaction to the call of his surname, "do you want it to become two weeks of detention?"

"And what about him?" he protested, looking away from Bill.

Giving him an unimpressed look, I watched his shoulders drop as he stepped away from the barrier, "I'll deal with him. Get to the hospital wing." Turning my eyes to Bill, I let out a breath and dropped the barrier charm once the Slytherin began to move. "Merlin Bill," I said gently as I closed the distance between us, "what the hell were you thinking? You could lose your badge over this."

"I know," he said simply and began to walk back towards our shared dorm. He stopped in his step beside Percy who I hadn't realised was still there. Reaching out to ruffle Percy's head, he patted his younger brother on his shoulder. "Don't look so worried – I'll be fine."

"He's right Percy," I said coming up behind him. "Don't worry about him – I'll hex some sense into him if I need to."

He nodded at my words, still looking unconceived but stepping aside so we could continue on our way. I wanted to demand to know what he was thinking, getting into a fistfight in the middle of the corridor. But I was somehow managing to hold off until we got back to our dorm. The moment we had crossed into it, and the portrait had shut behind us, I let it all out.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I demanded, pointing to the sofa which he settled down on without a complaint. "Merlin Bill, you're not a kid anymore! You can't get into fights like this – you could lose your badge."

He didn't say anything in response and I narrowed my eyes, walking towards him and summoning the first aid box. He really should have been going to the hospital wing – especially if the split lip and black eye he was developing was any indication. But I knew he'd be too stubborn to go. I'd have to convince him to go later.

"At least tell me _why_ you were punching him?" I asked with a sigh, sitting down beside him and opening the first aid kit.

"Because it was more satisfying than hexing him," he answered plainly when I tilted his head towards me so I could start to sterilise his cut lip. He didn't so much as wince.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I pressed harsher against his lip on purpose before feeling instantly apologetic, "You know that's not what I meant."

He shrugged, clearly not planning on saying another word and I rolled my eyes. I settled for cleaning up his split lip in silence before moving to the small gash on his cheek. Merlin, if his mother saw the sight of him now then Lee would be a dead man walking.

Bill eventually spoke up, voice gruff, "You need to start wearing a longer school skirt."

I sputtered, "I'm sorry?"

"Lee and his dead brain friends have been trying to look up it," he carried on uncomfortably, looking away from me, "They said some unsavoury things and I decided that he needed to be shut up."

"And you decided to do that with your fists?" I asked incredulously, closing the first aid kit. Shaking my head slightly, I leaned towards him to press a kiss to his unharmed cheek, "Thank you for avenging my 'honour', I'm sure your Gryffindor honour was the driving force behind it all."

"It was more than that," he protested, reaching out to take my hand when I went to move away from him. He halted me, making me sit back down beside him as I watched him curiously. With a nervous breath, he raised his eyes back to mine, "I can't stand other boys thinking about you like that. I'm not the type of person to get angry, you know that better than anyone. But whenever that happens," he cut himself off.

"What do you mean?" I prodded, hope blooming in my chest. I wasn't going to let him stop until I heard the entire truth.

"I'm not good with my words," he protested.

"Then show me." My words were quiet and he seemed to doubt his ears for a moment. That was until I gave him an encouraging nod. "Show me what you mean."

"You asked for this," he reminded me before closing the distance between us.

He was more surprised than I was when I sunk straight into the kiss without a second's hesitation.


	2. Epilogue

_6 YEARS LATER_

After a long six years of working as a Curse Breaker in Egypt, Bill was finally coming home. The moment he had received the letter detailing his transfer back to the England, he had owled me and I had promptly owled his mother. Of course, Bill had wanted me to keep the news from his family for a day or so in order to 'spend some time together' but I, unlike him, had a survival instinct. There was no way that the Weasley matriarch was going to let me live if she found out that I'd hidden it from her.

There was some ministry business that Bill needed to take care of before he had planned to come to my apartment for the night. I had offered to meet him in the ministry and now stood waiting for him. My eyes drifted to the large clock floating in the air, waiting a little impatiently for him to appear. But could you blame me? It had been months since we'd last seen each other. As if knowing my thoughts, he appeared out of one of the offices and looked around the corridor in search of me.

He had yet to spy me but I took off towards him, my speed increasing until I was practically running towards him. Laying eyes on me, he came to a stop and opened his arms to catch me when I threw myself into his arms. Lifting me off the ground slightly, he burrowed his head into my neck and peppered kisses to the skin.

"Godric I missed you," he rumbled, head still nestled in the crook of my neck. Setting me gently back to the ground, he pulled away to peer down at me with a grin.

"I'm glad your home," I admitted, arms around his neck. My eyes flickered to the fang earring dangling from his ear and laughed lightly, "Your mother's going to kill you."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not seeing her until tomorrow," he said quietly, voice growing a little deeper as he crossed the distance between us again. Using a hand to tilt my head towards him, he pressed a slow kiss to my lips. Pulling back from me, he pressed his forehead against mine. "Maybe we should get out of the ministry hallway? There's a lot of people staring."

Heat assaulted my cheeks as I was suddenly reminded of where we were. Clearing my throat, I nodded as he prepared to apparate us away, still refusing to let go of me. "Maybe then you can explain why you needed to pop into the housing registration office?"

He didn't comment on it, dropping a kiss to the tip of my nose and then we were apparating away. I expected to find myself in the middle of my apartment hallway, to feel the wards shifting to allow us entry. What I didn't expect was to be hit with a sudden gust of cool wind. Pulling away from Bill, I looked around to find that we were standing on a cliff, overlooking the sea.

Bill's arms removed themselves from around me, allowing me to explore. Without voicing my confusion, I looked to the cottage that stood on the cliff before raising my eyes to the open blue sky. Slowly I let my eyes drift back to the man standing beside the cottage, waiting patiently for my attention.

"Bill?" I questioned quietly.

"This is Shell Cottage," he explained as he approached me, taking my hand to pull me towards the small cottage. "And it's ours."

"Ours?" My eyebrows rose in surprise, looking at the taller man who smiled softly as he let us into the cottage.

"We _were_ planning on moving in together," he reminded me, letting go of my hand so I could explore.

I didn't go far. Stepping into the small front room, my eyes landed on his suitcases that must have been sent here upon his arrival, I turned my eyes back to Bill. I found him watching me carefully, trying to figure out how I was taking the news.

"Of course we can wait until your apartment contract ends," he assured me, misinterpreting my silence as he approached me, "and mum'll kill me if I don't stay at the Burrow for a while, so –"

"It's beautiful," I assured him, crossing the distance between us. Rising to my toes I pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

"You always wanted to live by the coast," he reminded me, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me against him. Peering up at him with wide eyes, I watched him lower his head to kiss the side of my mouth as he murmured suggestively, "So I was thinking –"

"Hmm?"

"If you're not too tired –"

"Before any of that," I cut in, breaking the tension and raising a hand to Bill's lips to stop him from speaking, "there's somewhere we need to go."

"There is?" he questioned, pulling away from me in obvious disappointment.

"There is," I confirmed, grabbing my wand from my pocket to prepare for apparation. Pecking his lips to get rid of his frown, I promised quietly, "Later."

That was all it took for him to perk up and I rolled my eyes, a small laugh leaving my lips. Bill wrapped an arm around my waist and I apparated us away. I could only wonder how he would react when he realised where it was that I was taking him.

It turned out that he didn't have enough time to realise where we were before he stumbled back from the force of another woman throwing herself into his arms. He faltered backwards a little, arms coming around his mother to hug her to him. Over the top of his head, Bill let his eyes meet mine looking betrayed. I could only smile sheepishly, ducking behind Charlie and Ron to try and hide myself.

Mrs Weasley squeezed her son tightly as if fearing that he would disappear again and Bill sighed, patting her on the back. She sniffled slightly, pulling back from him only for her eyes to narrow onto his hair before moving swiftly to the earring.

"William Weasley," she said sharply, "what on earth is that in your ear!"

Bill shuffled under her eyes as though he was, once again, a little boy being told off. "Mum –"

"And your hair! What were you thinking? Growing it out so much!"

"Mrs Weasley," I called out quietly, coming out from my hiding place to help him, "Bill hasn't eaten all day."

The little white lie worked like a charm. She began to fuss over him, commenting on how thin he'd gotten – he hadn't. If anything, he'd bulked up but no one bothered to point it out to her. Mrs Weasley made her way to the kitchen, ordering her children around as she went. The two youngest Weasleys set about clearing the table and Charlie was forbidden from helping. He was another one that Mrs Weasley was determined to fatten up as if her food would convince him to never go back to Romania.

She popped her head back around the kitchen door, eyes on her eldest, "Where are your bags?"

"About that," he saw no need to hide the truth from his mother, "mum, I'm –"

"We'll send your stuff over," I said quietly from his side.

Bill sighed, looking to his mum who was waiting for his answer, "they were sent along magically."

She nodded, seeming reassured by his answer, and went back to work. From the corner of my eye, I saw the quietly brooding man beside me and cleared my throat, intending to help his mum. A hand on my arm stopped me from moving anywhere.

Lowering his voice, he said from beside my ear, "I thought we were going to christen –"

Reaching out, I pinched him as I remembered just how many listening ears there were around here. I did _not_ need another embarrassing memory. Bill hissed under his breath, rubbing at his abused side.

"Later," I promised, kissing the frown away from his lips. Again. "I mean it. Tell your mum that you're coming round to mine for the weekend."


End file.
